This invention relates in general to the field of vacuum technology and in particular to devices and methods that use vacuum principles to ensure the sterility of surgical gloves.
Surgical gloves are worn in a variety of environments that demand a very high degree of sterility, for example, the medical, food-preparation and manufacturing xe2x80x9cclean roomxe2x80x9d environments. In the medical environment, surgical gloves are worn to prevent the hands of a doctor or a surgeon from contacting a patient""s body during a physical examination or a surgical operation. Wearing non-sterile surgical gloves in such an environment can lead to infection of the patient. In the xe2x80x9cclean roomxe2x80x9d environment, surgical gloves are worn to prevent the hands of a technician from contacting wafers and other devices supporting highly sensitive electronic circuits. Wearing non-sterile gloves in such an environment can lead to contamination of the wafers and other devices, making them unsuitable for fabrication.
Typically, surgical gloves are manufactured to be sterile. This sterility can be adversely affected, however, by manufacturing defects, such as rips, tears, and holes in the glove fabric. Such manufacturing defects are not always visible to the naked eye. This sterility can also be adversely affected during the process in which the wearer puts on the surgical gloves. During this process, oils and other fluids on the hands can contact and contaminate the exterior surface of the gloves. Ordinarily, the risk of undesirable contamination in this process is reduced by having an assistant fit the surgical gloves over the hands of the wearer.
Conventional devices for determining whether manufacturing defects exist in a surgical glove are inaccurate and difficult to use. Moreover, conventional devices do not circumvent the need for an assistant to reduce the risk of contamination during the process in which the gloves are fitted to the hands of the wearer.
The present invention is directed to glove inflation apparatuses that can utilize both a vacuum source and a compressed gas source to accurately determine whether manufacturing defects exist in a pair of surgical gloves and to fit a surgical glove onto a hand in a manner ensuring a high degree of sterility without the need for outside assistance.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a glove inflation apparatus includes at least one vacuum chamber that has an opening sized and shaped for receiving a glove and for establishing a fluid-tight seal between the glove and the vacuum chamber. The apparatus further includes a vacuum source which is connected to the chamber and a source of compressed gas which is in fluid communication with the glove. The apparatus further includes a switch that is connected to the vacuum source and the source of compressed gas. The switch has two states. In the first state, the switch permits the pump to evacuate the chamber. In the second state, the switch permits the source of compressed gas to expel the glove from the opening of the chamber.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the glove inflation apparatus can have both a first vacuum chamber and a second vacuum chamber. The first vacuum chamber can have an opening sized and shaped for receiving a first glove, and the second vacuum chamber can have an opening sized and shaped for receiving a second glove.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the glove inflation apparatus can include a controller connected to the switch. The controller can be a foot pedal or any other electrical or mechanical device which is suitable for controlling the switch.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the vacuum chamber of the glove inflation apparatus can include a transparent portion to facilitate viewing of the glove while the glove is secured onto the opening of the vacuum chamber.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the glove inflation apparatus can include a nozzle and a support ring sized and shaped to engage the opening of the vacuum chamber. The nozzle preferably directs the delivery of the compressed gas to the glove.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the glove inflation apparatus can include a glove assembly for supporting a cuff portion of a glove, a vacuum chamber that has an opening for receiving the glove assembly, a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum chamber, and a source of compressed gas connected to the glove assembly.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the glove assembly of the glove inflation apparatus can include a glove, a support ring having an interior surface and an exterior surface, a nozzle, adjacent to the exterior surface of the support ring, wherein a first portion of the nozzle connects to the source of compressed gas, and wherein a second portion of the nozzle retains the glove.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, the present invention is directed to a method for donning a sterile glove. The method comprises securing a cuff portion of a glove onto an opening of a vacuum chamber, generating a vacuum in the vacuum chamber to inflate the glove, placing a hand in the inflated glove and applying positive pressure to the cuff portion of the glove to release the glove from the opening of the vacuum chamber.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment and from the claims.